Why the long face? A comparative study of feeding kinematics of two pipefishes with different snout lengths
Van Wassenbergh, S.; Roos, G.; Aerts, P.; Herrel, A.; Adriaens, D. (2011). Why the long face? A comparative study of feeding kinematics of two pipefishes with different snout lengths. J. Fish Biol. 78(6): 1786-1798. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.02991.x
In: Journal of Fish Biology. Fisheries Society of the British Isles: London,New York,. ISSN 0022-1112; e-ISSN 1095-8649, more
This study showed that the mouth of Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus, a species with a relatively long snout, travels a greater distance compared with Doryrhamphus melanopleura, a species with a considerably shorter snout, allowing it to strike at prey that are farther away from the mouth. The long-snouted species also tended to reach significantly higher linear velocities of the mouth approaching the prey. On the other hand, D. melanopleura needed less time to capture its prey. A striking difference in prey-capture success was observed between species: D. melanopleura and D. dactyliophorus had a prey-capture success of 91 and 31%, respectively. The small prey size and the relatively large distance between eyes and prey are potential reasons why directing the mouth accurately to the prey is difficult in D. dactyliophorus, hence possibly explaining the lower prey-capture success in this long-snouted species. (C) 2011 The Authors Journal of Fish Biology (C) 2011 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles
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